Cities have several alternatives for connecting to their smart devices citywide. They can ask their IT department to "hardwire" the connections one at a time. Or they can hire an integrator/consultant to do all that messy work.
Or they can turn to a connectivity "platform" — a collection of tools and service optimized to connect to any and every device. You talk to the platform in a standard way. The platform then translates your requests across multiple communications networks to multiple devices from multiple vendors.
You gain many benefits when you standardize on a connectivity platform. Consider the example of the IoT platform (Internet of Things platform) from Telit, an Associate Partner of the Smart Cities Council. As you'll read below, one of their clients was able to accomplish a complex connection to smart meters in less than two weeks.
When this client someday wants to connect to other smart devices — thermostats, occupancy sensors, light sensors, etc. — they'll be able to use the same platform that they already know.
If you don't yet have a standard way to connect to your smart devices — one that can be shared and reused by all your departments — you owe it to your overworked IT staff to investigate a platform approach. — Jesse Berst
Telit, the global leader in the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced that Konect, a new smart metering proposition, has integrated the Telit IoT Platform within a fortnight, rapidly accelerating time to market for the new smart meter plus management system offering.
Kron Medidores, a Brazilian provider of automation for about 90% of the country’s shopping centers and intelligent buildings, has developed the Konect offering which is composed of the smart meter hardware and software for managing and monitoring utilities consumption. The company is using the Telit IoT Portal to provide the management and remote visualization capabilities for Konect customers. The platform enables all the necessary adjustments to be made to a smart meter so measurements on any device can be accessed in real-time.
In addition, Kron Medidores is now starting to integrate Telit mobile communication modules into the Konect meters to make the product 100% plug-and-play. The company had initially intended to connect existing meters via Ethernet cables but sees the simplicity and speed of deployment of devices using mobile connections as a means to lower the costs of implementation and accelerate time to market for customers.
Konect smart metering aims to minimize energy, water and gas costs for organizations, while bringing together other information such as temperature and the humidity level of the air in workplace environments.
“The solution presents a new approach to the electricity meters market,“ said Roberto Bedicks, the chief executive of Kron Medidores. “Konect is extremely versatile and integrates with other devices in automation systems incorporating multiple functions. Energy, one of the major inputs, requires efficient management to achieve better performance and lower expenses, making the organization more competitive.“
The smart meters will boost awareness of consumption in commercial buildings, condominiums and shopping centers that want to achieve a complete view of their usage. That holistic view provides information about monthly energy, water and gas consumption before the end of each month, thereby facilitating better decision-making.
The Konect offering offers assessment capability that encompasses the individual metering of consumption so enterprises can become aware of the variables of a particular department of a factory, shop, office building, condominium or other site. Employees can also control internal consumption within a retail outlet, for example.
“With the solution, a segmented organizational vision is possible, which leads to better decision-making and helps avoid the negative impacts of unexpected energy bills,“ added Bedicks.
Kron Medidores, which has worked in the electricity metering industry for more than 60 years, is looking to market the Konect smart meter hardware plus service offering beyond Brazil and is demonstrating the technology to distributors in Latin American countries such as Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Mexico.
“With the Telit IoT Portal, access to consumer-variable information such as water, energy and gas consumption is possible anywhere in the world,” said Ricardo Buranello, the vice president of Telit Latin America.
